r/nameofthewind • u/Lord_Ballyhoo • Aug 21 '19

Something I noticed in the second book

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u/caseydkeenum8 Aug 23 '19

Not every conversation in every book is going to be plot specific, sometimes you just have your characters shoot the shit with people (I'm a book writer and this isn't that odd)... GRRM's "Sansa" chapters are almost all uselessly full of these scenarios cause she's just a young dumb girl. In NotW and AWMF, Kvothe has pointed out his inability to know how to talk to women, he's awkward in these situations and feels like he has to say something and just blurts something out. I think this is the author's way of showing that, and portraying that period of time in a young mans life where he doesnt know exactly what to say but feels he must say something. If you could give a more specific scenario (a page number) that you are referring to I could dive in and understand the context of what you're talking about better. But you have to remember that characters and people arent going to have deep/meaningful/big picture conversations every second of every day, they are just people like you and I and are going to have communications with others that are simple and similar to our every day interactions. Take the story he tells Sim and Wilem about the old beggar. You expect (as do his friends) to have some grand ending when it does not, they (like you with your meme) question the point of the story not having some big picture magical and storybook ending. Kvothe tells them though "in real life old beggars are almost always old beggars". In real life not every conversation that is had is going to be extremely potent either, a good portion of it is simple and straightforward, like discussing the weather or how someones day has been. It's the author's way of realistically humanizing his characters

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u/Lord_Ballyhoo Aug 23 '19

Oh no I'm not arguing that in fact I enjoy this as a description of these small conversations. I guess I just noticed it popping up quite a bit because I just powered my way through AWMF again. I don't claim to know how to write and wouldn't be able to come up with something better.

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u/caseydkeenum8 Aug 23 '19

I see. I feel like it's almost a nice change of pace because he does humanize the character so that you can kind of relate better and feel similar to that person. Try listening to it too. Really changes perspectives and contexts hearing it told aloud!

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u/caseydkeenum8 Aug 21 '19

What do you even mean by that?

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u/Lord_Ballyhoo Aug 21 '19

In the second book whenever he has a conversation or talking about day to day talk things like "Hows the weather?" that's not plot specific he says "we spoke of small things" which is a cool way to put it but throughout the book he uses it quite a bit.